The Oscar Wilde Collection

Four classic comedies from one of the wittiest playwrights in Western literature: Lady Windermere's Fan, A Woman of No Importance, An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest, all featuring star-studded casts with the likes of Jacqueline Bisset, Miriam Margolyes, James Marsters, Alfred Molina, Roger Rees, Yeardley Smith, Eric Stoltz, and many more. Also includes a chilling dramatization of Wilde's sole novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray.

The Complete Barchester Chronicles (Dramatisation)

Here is a new audio edition of the acclaimed BBC Radio 4 dramatisations of Anthony Trollope's gently satirical tales of provincial life, available together in one download. Nearly 20 hours of ironic, witty, and wonderfully written drama is contained in this audiobook. The cast includes Anna Massey, Alex Jennings, David Haig, Rosemary Leach, Kenneth Cranham, Emma Fielding, and Brenda Blethyn.

Charles Dickens: The BBC Radio Drama Collection: Volume One: Classic Drama from the BBC Radio Archive

Powerful full-cast radio dramatisations of four of Charles Dickens' most famous novels. Charles Dickens is one of the most renowned novelists of all time, and this first volume of the dramatised canon of his work includes four of his best loved stories.The Pickwick Papers. Mr Samuel Pickwick, founder of the Pickwick Club, forms a Corresponding Society for members to report back about their travels. So begins the chronicle of their hilariously comic journeys.

Vivat Rex: Volume One (Dramatisation): Landmark Drama from the BBC Radio Archive

Richard Burton narrates this famous dramatic chronicle of the English Crown, a treasure of the BBC radio archive published on audible for the very first time. Vivat Rex is the landmark drama series first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1977.

The George Bernard Shaw Collection

Eight of George Bernard Shaw's most memorable plays in one splendid collection: Mrs. Warren's Profession, Arms and the Man, Candida, The Devil's Disciple, Major Barbara, The Doctor's Dilemma, Misalliance, and Pygmalion.

Metamorphoses

The Metamorphoses by Publius Ovidius Naso (43 B.C. - A.D. 17) has, over the centuries, been the most popular and influential work from our classical tradition. This extraordinary collection of some 250 Greek and Roman myths and folk tales has always been a popular favorite, and has decisively shaped western art and literature from the moment it was completed in A.D. 8. The stories are particularly vivid when read by David Horovitch, in this new lively verse translation by Ian Johnston.

Seven Classic Plays

Now, for the first time in audio, Blackstone presents seven great plays in one volume: Euripides' Medea, Shakespeare's The Tempest, Moliere's The Imaginary Invalid, Dumas' Camille, Ibsen's An Enemy of the People, Shaw's Arms and the Man, and Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. These productions illustrate the development of European drama from ancient times to the threshold of the modern theater.

War and Peace: BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation

Paterson Joseph, John Hurt, Lesley Manville and Harriet Walter are among the cast of BBC Radio 4's epic full-cast dramatisation. Adapted for radio by Timberlake Wertenbaker, Leo Tolstoy's epic story follows the fortunes of three Russian aristocratic families during the Napoleonic War. First broadcast on New Year's Day 2015, the drama also features Alun Armstrong, Natasha Little, David Calder, Phoebe Fox, Sam Reid and Joanna David. Duration: 10 hours approx.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (Dramatised)

Dirk Gently has an unshakeable belief in the interconnectedness of all things, but his Holistic Detective Agency mainly succeeds in tracking down missing cats for old ladies. Then Dirk stumbles upon an old friend behaving bizarrely - and he's drawn into a four-billion-year-old mystery that must be solved if the human race is to avoid immediate extinction.

Sherlock Holmes: The Four Novels Collection

Clive Merrison stars as Holmes, with Michael Williams as Watson, in these four adventures from the unique, fully dramatised BBC canon of Conan Doyle stories: A Study In Scarlet, The Sign of the Four, The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Valley of Fear.

Powerful full-cast radio dramatisations of three of Charles Dickens' most famous novels. Barnaby Rudge, set against the background of the anti-Catholic riots of the 1780s, follows the plight of young Barnaby and his widowed mother. Martin Chuzzlewit is a darkly comic masterpiece in which a disinherited Martin sets sail for America to seek his fortune. Dombey and Son examines a rich city merchant and his troubled relationships at home.

Faust

Goethe's masterpiece and perhaps the greatest work in German literature, Faust has made the legendary German alchemist one of the central myths of the Western world. Here indeed is a monumental Faust, an audacious man boldly wagering with the devil, Mephistopheles, that no magic, sensuality, experience or knowledge can lead him to a moment he would wish to last forever.

The Diary of Samuel Pepys: The BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisation

Kris Marshall and Katherine Jakeways star as Mr & Mrs Pepys in this BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of the world famous diaries. Samuel Pepys was 26 when he decided to start keeping a diary, in January 1660. For the next 10 years he faithfully recorded the day's events and confessed his innermost thoughts. That diary has since become one of our most important, and fascinating, historical documents. Pepys gave us eyewitness accounts of some of the great events of the 17th century, including the Great Fire of London and the Second Dutch War.

4 3 2 1

On March 3, 1947, in the maternity ward of Beth Israel Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, Archibald Isaac Ferguson, the one and only child of Rose and Stanley Ferguson, is born. From that single beginning, Ferguson's life will take four simultaneous and independent fictional paths. Four Fergusons made of the same genetic material, four boys who are the same boy, will go on to lead four parallel and entirely different lives. Family fortunes diverge. Loves and friendships and intellectual passions contrast.

The Blue Reviewer says:"Arduous reading, some great but brief moments"

The Neil Simon Collection

Ten essential plays by Neil Simon, one of the world’s most celebrated, translated, and widely performed playwrights, including Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, Plaza Suite, Brighton Beach Memoirs, and more.

Crime and Punishment

A century after it first appeared, Crime and Punishment remains one of the most gripping psychological thrillers. A poverty-stricken young man, seeing his family making sacrifices for him, is faced with an opportunity to solve his financial problems with one simple but horrifying act: the murder of a pawnbroker. She is, he feels, just a parasite on society. But does the end justify the means? Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov makes his decision and then has to live with it.

The Iliad of Homer

For thousands of years, Homer's ancient epic poem the Iliad has enchanted readers from around the world. When you join Professor Vandiver for this lecture series on the Iliad, you'll come to understand what has enthralled and gripped so many people.Her compelling 12-lecture look at this literary masterpiece -whether it's the work of many authors or the "vision" of a single blind poet - makes it vividly clear why, after almost 3,000 years, the Iliad remains not only among the greatest adventure stories ever told but also one of the most compelling meditations on the human condition ever written.

Sherlock Holmes: The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes: Classic Drama from the BBC Archives

Clive Merrison stars as Holmes, with Michael Williams as Watson, in this collection from the unique, fully dramatised BBC Radio 4 canon. These 12 stories range from Holmes' very first case to the epic struggle between Holmes and Moriarty high above the Reichenbach Falls.

Tom Jones

Fielding's rollicking comic masterpiece sparkles with life in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatization. Abandoned child Tom is raised by the rich and benevolent squire Mr. Allworthy, much to the chagrin of Allworthy's mean-natured nephew Blifil, and develops into a good-natured rake. But Tom's inability to resist a pretty face lands him in hot water when he impregnates Blifil's betrothed. When the lovely Sophia runs away to London, Tom pursues, embarking upon a series of riotous and amorous adventures.

Bleak House

A complex plot of love and inheritance is set against the English legal system of the mid-19th century. As the case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce drags on, it becomes an obsession to everyone involved. And the issue on an inheritance ultimately becomes a question of murder.

Our Man in Havana

In a legendary novel that appears to predict the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, Graham Greene introduces James Wormold, a vacuum cleaner salesman whose life in transformed when he is asked to join the British Secret Service. He agrees, and finds himself with no information to offer, so begins to invent sources and agencies which do not exist, but which appear very real to his superiors.

Paradise Lost

In words remarkable for their richness of rhythm and imagery, Milton tells the story of man's creation, fall, and redemption, "to justify the ways of God to men". Here, unabridged, and told with exceptional sensitivity and power by Anton Lesser, is the plight of Adam and Eve, the ambition and vengefulness of Satan and his cohorts.

Tristram Shandy

Laurence Sterne's most famous novel is a biting satire of literary conventions and contemporary 18th-century values. Renowned for its parody of established narrative techniques, Tristram Shandyis commonly regarded as the forerunner of avant-garde fiction. Tristram's characteristic digressions on a whole range of unlikely subjects (including battle strategy and noses!) are endlessly surprising and make this one of Britain's greatest comic achievements.

Publisher's Summary

Six hilarious satires from the ingenious Molière, France’s original master of comedies:

The Bungler: In 17th-century Sicily, a clever valet named Mascarille tries to help his boss Lélie win the girl of his dreams… only to find that Lélie is a monumental dunce who ruins every one of his intricate schemes. Performed by Richard Easton, et al.

The Imaginary Cuckold: Brian Bedford stars as the enraged husband who imagines his wife is unfaithful, but becomes reluctant to defend his honor in this grand farce of hysterical coincidences, frenzied confusion and mistaken identities – the most widely performed Molière play in his lifetime. Performed by: Brian Bedford, Joanne Whalley, et al.

The School for Husbands: Sganarelle, a tyrannical old buffoon of a husband-to-be, seeks to isolate his young ward, while unwittingly carrying her messages of devotion to her lover. Performed by: Brian Bedford, Emily Bergl, et al.

The School for Wives: In this biting comedy of errors, the hapless Arnolphe is undone by his own double dealing and double standards. This play is considered by many to be Molière’s masterpiece, and Wilbur’s subtle verse translation illuminates the great master of comedy at his wittiest. Performed by: William Brown, et al.

Tartuffe: Initially banned in by King Louis XIV, Molière’s most famous satire exposes hypocrisy in the Catholic Church. A pious fraud manipulates the patriarch of a wealthy family into giving up his fortune, and it’s up to his family to expose the truth before they end up in the poor house. Performed by: Brian Bedford, Martin Jarvis, et al.

The Misanthrope: Razor-sharp wit inflames a competitive game of survival in the salons of 17th century France. In this world of "finest appearances", one man’s blunt honesty shatters his society’s delicate web of manners in what is often considered to be Molière’s Hamlet. Performed by: Harry Althaus, et al.

Six hilarious satires from the ingenious Molière, France's original master of comedies: The Imaginary Cuckold, The School for Husbands, The School for Wives, Tartuffe, and The Misanthrope.

The man is so underrated. Godlike delivery enhances Moliere. Brings back to life. Opening lines of Brian Bedford are funny too.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Michael

Walnut Creek, CA, United States

11/10/12

Overall

Performance

Story

"Mildly Amusing"

These plays were mildly amusing, but far from great. All these plays were preformed from translations to English rhymes (translating verse is very difficult), and the rhymes often seemed both predicable and forced and took me out of the flow. Some of the plays were so blandly performed that much of the humor was lost. The School for Wives and Tartuffe were the best of these six, primarily because they were the most broadly played. I found the repeating loops of barnyard or crowd background sounds completely unnecessary and distracting. In this kind of broad comedy facial expressions and stage work play an important part which is lost in audible format. This kind of bawdy humor can be quite fun if you have a women in one hand and a drink in another, but while driving they were not the thing.

8 of 12 people found this review helpful

Kyle Higgins

19/04/17

Overall

Performance

Story

"Excellent"

A great collection of Moliere plays with an excellent translation, wonderful performances and some very interesting interviews in between the repertoire.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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